The State Government on Monday decided to request the High Court to grant some more time for completion of mining lease renewal activities as it is not able to meet the June 15 deadline.
The decision was taken at a review meeting of the inter-departmental panel headed by Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra.
"Though the High Court had asked the Government to complete the mines lease renewal activities by June 15, it will not be possible in view of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest’s (MoEF) February 1, 2013 guideline," said Director of Mines Deepak Mohanty.
Mohanty said the MoEF guideline categorically stated that all the operating mines must have full forest diversion clearances in order to get renewal of mine lease permission.
Of the 59 operational mines in Odisha, 55 have partial forest diversion clearances. The MoEF guideline further said that the mines lease areas which did not have full forest diversion clearance, needed to return the portion of leasehold areas.
"In order to satisfy the MoEF guideline, the State Government will ask all the mines to submit their forest diversion clearances on their full leasehold areas instead of portions," Mohanty said, adding that unless the mines lessees submit forest clearance reports, the State cannot recommend for renewal of their leases. The State Government had received 323 applications for mine lease renewals of which 135 had been rejected by the Steel and Mines Department.